A desire not only to take to the field, but to help those around you.
For this weekend, it was Mathoura who was helped out by another club.
“We've been struggling to put numbers together for our under 14s so far,” Timbercutters president Tim McCormick said.
“We've tried to get the message out because we just want our kids to have the chance to play. No one wants to miss out on a game.
“So when we got a phone call from Echuca, we were pretty excited.”
Echuca, whose season wasn't scheduled to start for another two weeks, asked if the Timbercutters could use some players.
When a resounding ‘yes’ came back, seven of the Murray Bombers’ young guns hit the road to trade their bottle green for red and blue for the day.
“It doesn't get much better than that,” McCormick said.
“To have a club and a group of young men throw their hands up to come out and help and make sure we were able to take the field, it was a wonderful gesture.
“And they sent us a great group. They were incredibly kind and respectful, not only to their teammates but to the whole club and to their opposition.
“They were the kind of people who would pick an opposition player up off the ground after a contest. They're a credit to their families and their football club in the way they acted.”
Echuca junior president Justin Hatfield said it was something his club was happy to be a part of.
“We're hoping we can do it again this week,” he said.
“It's one of those things that you love being able to do, see clubs help each other out in that way.
“We haven't figured out all the details for the year, but it would be great if we can keep helping out where we can and hopefully that starts to get them some momentum in terms of their numbers.”
Irrelevant of what happens next, the Timbercutters are already grateful for what Echuca's players have contributed.
“We're really grateful for what they did for us,” McCormick said.
“They will always be welcome at our club and we hope we can do something like this again this season.”
***
MORE LOCAL SPORT
Echuca-Moama’s Todd Murphy claims place in Victorian cricket history
Bendigo Pioneers celebrate the big and small victories in season-opener
Echuca Moama Border Raiders ready to kick off the season